But is it Art?

butisitartphoto replied to your quote: It’s tempting to see the fragmentation of…

Exactly what ideas did early industrial music articulate that were so much more subversive?

“Social alienation”

This is the hallmark of every musical style marketed to the teenager since the invention of the teenager, both before and after industrial, and is absolutely central to later styles of industrial with which you are attempting to draw a distinction.

“urban decay”

I don’t think this element is present to any greater degree in early industrial than in early punk, for example, or than any style born within its conditions.

“structural power”

Again, I don’t think this element is present in industrial to any greater degree than any other style (see Jimmy Cracked Corn, MC5, etc.)

Further, I’d say that the early industrialists’ ethic of abstraction make it difficult to say that any specific ideas were “articulated,” but were, rather, either vaguely referenced without attempting a cogent argument or, occasionally, wielded so heavily and bluntly that the mocking intent was often misunderstood. How can an idea be subversive if its message is not heard?

“the contrast of how life is portrayed as it ought to be in media to how it is in reality.”

While in industrial’s literal quotation of existing media this element is highlighted it is nothing new. American popular music and its sources have been subverting the voice of the master for as long was we have records of it.

“The early industrialists, who were influenced by philosophy and performance art,”

As were the performers in most musical movements, particularly those with economic access to such segments of culture. Are you sure you aren’t actually making a class argument here?

“responded to this hopelessness by turning the concept of music on it’s head as a medium to mock culture”

I would personally suggest that music has been used as a medium to mock culture for almost as long as there has been music, but it is absolutely without question that this has been a major theme in music from early in the 20th century and a major theme in African-American culture. It is also a major theme of later industrial.

I probably shouldn’t be commenting so extensively via my photo blog, so I will probably delete this, but it was too big for the reply box or ask.